Kickoff: Saturday, September 9 (7:00 PM PST)
Where: Championship Stadium (Irvine, CA)
How to Watch: At The Champ, Bally Sports SoCal, ESPN+
Orange County SC returns back to the friendly confines of Championship Stadium at the Great Park in Irvine, CA, as they get set to host El Paso Locomotive FC at 7:00 PM on Heroes Night! Come on down and help us Pack The Champ as the team goes for their ninth straight win and the club aims for our fourth straight Saturday sellout!
MR. STARK…EL PASO DOESN’T FEEL SO GOOD…
El Paso Locomotive FC enters Saturday’s contest in eighth place in the Western Conference, clinging to the West’s last playoff spot. I say clinging because after a seven match win streak earlier in the season saw El Paso claim the top spot for a few weeks, they have now gone winless in 11 of their last 12 matches (1-8-3), with their only win in that span against Hartford Athletic, currently last in the Eastern Conference. Their defense has struggled to keep them in matches, letting in three goals or more to their opponents five times in their last seven outings. The visitors will also be without one of their key conductors on Saturday, as midfield maestro and former USL Champion with OCSC, Eric Calvillo is away on International Duty and not available for selection. A bright spot for El Paso? They are one of the league’s better teams away from home, posting a 6-3-3 mark away from Southwest University Park.
2023 Regular Season Record: 10-11-5 (8th in USL-C Western Conference)
Goals Scored: 34 | Goals Allowed: 42 | Clean Sheets: 7
Players to Watch
M Denys Kostyshyn
F Luis Solignac
HULK SMASHIN’ RECORDS
Orange County SC enters Saturday’s match in third place in the Western Conference after their 5-1 thrashing of Las Vegas Lights FC on the road at Cashman Field last Saturday. It was arguably the Black and Orange’s most complete performance of the season, as the match featured five different goal scorers, forwards Thomas Amang, Milan Iloski, Kevin Lankford, Marc “Sparky” McNulty and captain Markus Nakkim, and five different assist providers, defenders Ryan Doghman and Owen Lambe, midfielder Brian Iloski, as well as Lankford and McNulty. The win extended the new club record win streak to eight matches and also set a new season high for the USL Championship this year, breaking El Paso’s streak of seven straight matches earlier this season. The Black and Orange look to make it nine straight on Saturday.
Players to Watch
F Kevin Lankford
M Kyle Scott
All-time record:
Orange County SC is 1-3-3 all-time against El Paso Locomotive FC.
Previous Matchup: 2023 USL Championship
El Paso Locomotive FC 1 – 0 Orange County SC (Southwest University Park, El Paso, TX)
Scoring summary: Luis Solignac 19’ (ELP)
CALLING ALL HEROES!
On Saturday, Orange County SC will be honoring all active duty military members, veterans and first responders with discounts at our Merchandise Shop and at the County Grill. Thank you for your service to our nation and our community! Don’t have your ticket yet? Tickets can still be purchased here.
SOCCER FOR HOPE
Orange County SC will be Going Gold and wearing their gold 10th Anniversary kits on Saturday, in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, with help from our longtime partners at Soccer For Hope. Saturday’s match will also feature an honorary captain from our friends at Soccer For Hope! Please consider making a donation to help fight childhood cancer at soccerforhope.org/donate.
ALMOST FIESTA TIME!
The Black and Orange play at home again next week when they host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for our Fiesta de Fireworks next Friday, September 15. This is our lone home Friday match of the season, so grab the family and come get your weekend started with a BANG! These tickets will sell out, so grab yours today! Tickets can be purchased here.
JUST FOUR REGULAR SEASON HOME MATCHES REMAIN!
There are just FOUR regular season home matches left in Orange County SC’s 2023 USL Championship regular season! With sellouts on our previous three Saturday home matches, don’t miss out on our last few regular season home games and help us pack The Champ! Get your tickets here.